Now there are four fledglings exploring the canyons of downtown Seattle and flapping from perch to perch to check out what ever interests them. The last female left the security of the nest ledge Saturday morning. She is the youngster who was so late to develop; she now is as big as her sisters and is going through the normal stages of early flight. The female that got into trouble last week was released over the weekend, also, and appears to be in good shape. The male fledgling and the first female to fledge are flying strongly; the other two, as expected, are a bit slower, but we expect them to catch up soon.
They are still totally dependent on their parents for food. Usually, a peregrine makes its first kill after it has been on the wing for over three or four weeks. This does not mean that it will be able to support itself from then on; the process to independence is a gradual one, and the adults will continue to supply food, though in lesser amounts as time goes on. Peregrines time their nesting so that their fledglings are on the wing when the vulnerable young of their prey are also first flying. The inexperienced falcons then have a decent chance of catching them, once they make the connection between chasing birds, killing them, and eating them.
